Amazon’s scale and engagement approach
In my last post, I discussed how Amazon’s frontline workers are generally very happy with their pay. In this one, I’ll discuss what else Amazon is doing to keep its employees engaged.
Amazon is one of the world’s largest private employers, with a global workforce that changes from quarter to quarter. It’s also a major employer in the U.S., where it has more than 1 million employees. Its demand for frontline and delivery workers is particularly high.
Glassdoor, Indeed, CareerBliss, and Great Place to Work all offer employee feedback about companies. These sites can be used as sources of information about engagement practices at different employers.
One thing Amazon publicly emphasizes is investment in pay, benefits, and skills training. The company has announced different wage and training commitments over time, and eligibility for health coverage, leave, tuition support, or other benefits depends on role, location, hours, and current plan terms. Treat the figures as dated announcements and verify the current jobs and benefits pages before comparing offers. Amazon has also described employee-led programs such as Sustainability Ambassadors.
What undermines engagement
However, reporting and worker accounts have raised concerns about productivity monitoring, pace, scheduling, and the ability to raise concerns in some Amazon operations. Conditions are not identical across every building, role, or season, so a single anonymous review or fixed “every 30 seconds” claim should not be presented as a companywide rule. Employers comparing practices should examine current site-level evidence and employee feedback.
A contrast with people-first companies
I think Amazon’s approach is not really a people-first mission. Southwest Airlines, for example, has a well-known mission statement:
Southwest Airlines’ mission is to provide our customers with the highest quality service, while maintaining the lowest possible cost structure. We accomplish this through our people — we believe our employees are the key to our success. Our employees are provided with the same concern, respect, and caring attitude toward our customers that we expect from our customers.
Southwest Airlines’ mission statement clearly states that its people are its most important asset, and that employees are expected to treat customers with the same level of respect and care that customers are expected to show them. I do not see the same people-first emphasis in the material discussed above. In my view, pay alone does not resolve engagement problems created by rigid rules.
The lesson on survey transparency
Survey transparency is another practical, transferable lesson that any employer can learn from Amazon. Surveys are great tools for gauging employee sentiment, but unless you report survey results back to your employees, they won’t help you fix problems. If you want to use surveys to gauge engagement, you should report the results back to employees, share specific action plans to address problems, and communicate ongoing progress updates. This is especially important in large organizations, where employees often feel unheard.